Uribe to CPJ, FLIP: 'Illegal spies are enemies of Colombia'

Bogotá, February 17, 2010—ColombianPresident Alvaro Uribe Vélez said on Tuesday that
those who illegally spy on the press are “enemies of his government” during a
meeting with a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists and the
Foundation for Freedom of the Press (FLIP).

Uribe issued the statement at the urging of the CPJ and FLIP delegation, which met with the president and top government officials including Vice President Francisco Santos; Minister of Interior Fabio Valencia Cossio; Felipe Muñoz, the director of national intelligence, or DAS; the director of the national police, General Oscar Naranjo Trujillo; and other high-ranking officials in a two-hour-long meeting at the presidential palace, known as Casa Nariño.

On Tuesday morning, CPJ and FLIP presented their
annual reports during a press
conference at the JaverianaUniversity
in Bogotá. According to both reports, illegal espionage of journalists is one of
the most serious threats to press freedom in Colombia. Local reporters had their
phones intercepted, their e-mails hacked and were subjected to surveillance and
harassment during a period from 2004 to 2006. CPJ had its e-mails hacked. According
to initial investigations and journalists’ allegations, illegal spying may have
stretched beyond February 2009 after the news of the scandal broke, CPJ and
FLIP said.

The delegation asked President Uribe to
make a strong statement in response to ongoing concerns about illegal spying.
The president reiterated that Colombia
is a democratic government that “does not accept illegality.” Uribe said that
“those who restrict the freedom of a journalist and illegally spy on the press
are enemies of my government.”

The delegation included CPJ board member María
Teresa Ronderos, one of Colombia’s most prominent journalists, former
CPJ awardee Ignacio Gomez, president
of FLIP, CPJ Americas Senior Program Coordinator Carlos Lauria, and FLIP
Executive Director Andres Morales.

The CPJ and FLIP delegation told Uribe
and Colombian officials that journalists are taking extraordinary steps to
prevent their communications from being intercepted, and called on authorities
to prosecute all those responsible. “It really hurts me that those responsible
have not been captured,” said Uribe. General Naranjo said that the national police
shared the president’s frustration with the investigation, but insisted that
great efforts have been made.

As a result of the widespread espionage scheme,
confidential sources have been endangered and have become reluctant to talk to
Colombian journalists, CPJ and FLIP said. Uribe stated that his government will
not allow “any act that interferes with the work of the press.” Vice President Santos said the
government "will assume its responsibility based on firm judicial
sentences."

Since the scandal broke, the attorney general’s
office launched an inquiry that resulted in the 2009 arrests of several top
intelligence officials, including former DAS Deputy Director José Miguel
Narváez. In all, 40 DAS officials are now being investigated. Seven were
indicted in January and may soon stand trial. “Those who restrict the freedom
of a journalist must be fully prosecuted,” said Uribe.

During
the meeting with Attorney General Guillermo Mendoza Diago on Monday, the
delegation also spoke with Colombia’s
Public Prosecutor Alejandro Ordoñez. Ordoñez’s office is investigating 26
officials who have been involved in the scheme, and has the power to impose
disciplinary actions. Among them, Ordoñez told the delegation, were three top
officials at the president’s office.

While the names of the president’s
advisors were released by the public prosecutor’s office in June, Uribe
defended the officials and said that he rejected any pressure from the media to
“criminalize innocent people.” Uribe said he worried that the lack of concrete
results in the investigation has made room for political manipulation of his
government.

Both the interior minister and the DAS
director, who met with the delegation on Monday, issued statements reacting to
the reports. Both statements reasserted that illegal espionage was not state
policy, and that they have assisted in the investigation.

The delegation also urged authorities to abstain from accusing members of the media of having links to
armed groups without any evidence because it endangers the lives of reporters.